Transcription
First lesson dedicated to Bacon, the philosopher of the inductive method, the philosopher of science, understood as power. He was probably the philosopher who most embodied the scientific spirit of the 16th and 17th centuries, but not regarding the method; that was Galileo, the great theorist of the scientific means.
Bacon focused on the potential of science, on his vision of science as a means to empower humanity. He exalted science as an instrument that allows man to understand nature, to dominate it, and to bring it to the service of humanity. Thus, Bacon is the philosopher who most celebrated the emancipation of man from nature, while also considering nature as a means to achieve human goals.
In Bacon, you have two sides, two faces of a scientific coin: the exaltation of science as an organ of freedom, and the exaltation of a science that dominates nature. Therefore, science is freedom, but freedom for man; it is also a science that dominates nature.
Bacon was a figure of immense influence in the 17th century, shaping the spirit of the era alongside Galileo and Descartes. Bacon and Descartes, with their methods and rationalism, provided an even clearer vision of the scientist than Galileo did. The method of knowledge, the liberating turn, empiricism, the laboratory method, the deductive-inductive method, the scientific method, and the method of modern science all stem from Bacon's influence.
Bacon, who preceded Galileo, had a significant ideological impact. He is the singer of the scientific man, the man who, through science, emancipates himself and rises above nature. The problem is that Bacon can be seen as a prophet of an arrogant Western man towards nature, who considers it at the service of humanity. This is a man who sees himself above nature, rather than as a part of it.
Bruno, Telesio, and Pomponazzi viewed man as part of nature, while Bacon presents a man who dominates nature with his intelligence, faculties, and capabilities. He is the great exaltation of science as power.
Bacon was born in 1561 and died in 1626. He also had a political career, becoming Lord Chancellor, which means he was effectively the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of England.
Bacon's life contrasts with that of Giordano Bruno, who lived as a rebel and was persecuted. Bacon, on the other hand, lived a life of power and governance. We have already encountered Bacon in the context of his political works, as he is the author of "The New Atlantis," a paradise of technique and science.
"The New Atlantis" is a laboratory island, a place where scientific knowledge triumphs, allowing man to rise above nature and dominate it. The inhabitants of this new Atlantis possess technical and technological tools, as well as scientific knowledge, enabling them to create a technological and scientific paradise on Earth.
The works we will examine in these lessons are primarily essays on nature, science, and the scientific method. One key work to remember is "Novum Organum." The title "Novum Organum" references Aristotle's "Organon," which encompassed all writings on logic. Logic is the tool that allows for the understanding of complex reality.
Bacon's "Novum Organum" presents a scientific method that enables man to understand and dominate nature. While Aristotle's organ was for understanding being and reality, Bacon's new organ is the inductive scientific method for cataloging nature and producing benefits for humanity.
The work around which this explanation revolves is indeed "Novum Organum." What is knowledge for Bacon? It is an encyclopedic knowledge. Bacon attempts to structure knowledge in an encyclopedic manner, following Aristotelian modalities.
There are different forms of knowledge, connected to the faculties that man possesses. There are three main faculties around which disciplines are built. The first faculty is memory, which forms the basis of historical disciplines. From memory, one can derive natural history, civil history, ecclesiastical history, and literature.
Memory leads to historical disciplines, while the second faculty is imagination, which underlies poetic works, from the Iliad to the Divine Comedy. Imagination produces narrative poetry, dramatic poetry, and parabolic poetry, which illustrates truth.
The third faculty, which all authors of the scientific revolution follow, is reason. We are in the age of rationalism, where reason produces philosophy. Bacon's philosophy encompasses all forms of rational knowledge.
Philosophy, for Bacon, is the highest discipline that contains the scientific perspective. The branches of philosophy include first philosophy, which studies first principles, and special philosophies, such as divine philosophy (theology), natural philosophy (physics), and human philosophy (the study of body and soul).
Bacon's starting point is that it is essential to create a new science, a new logic of science. The old logic, which viewed science as a disinterested study of nature, must be rejected. Science must serve humanity, with man as the steward of nature.
Science is not pursued for beauty alone; it is not mere speculation. Bacon emphasizes that science must be useful. The theme of being at the service of humanity raises issues regarding resources and pollution.
Science is the tool at the service of man, who must govern nature through knowledge. The steward of nature must find the most effective tools to penetrate and dominate nature, and this is done through experiments.
"The New Atlantis" is a laboratory island where experiments are the method through which the scientist, as the steward of nature, must proceed to dominate and govern nature.
Bacon's experiments are inductive, cataloging nature, unlike Galileo's deductive-inductive laboratory experiments.
The correct scientific approach is to interpret nature, to delve into it with rigor and scientific method, using experiments and useful tools. Science requires a method, objectives, and proof. General statements and theories arise only after a rigorous methodological journey.
In closing, I will touch on the controversies surrounding homeopathy. Scientific studies have never proven the methodological effectiveness of homeopathic methods. While it may make one feel better, it does not qualify as scientific medicine because it does not meet rigorous methodological standards.
Bacon is one of the main theorists of this scientific approach. The path of sterile anticipation is useless; the path of interpretation is fruitful. There is no science without fertility. The nature of science must be to produce results. Where there is science and knowledge, there is fertility, progress, and development. Where there is no science, there is stagnation and immobility.